Associate Scientist - Environmental Science

Job Purpose

Climate Change impacts rice production through exacerbated and more frequent climate extremes. At the same time rice fields are a large emitter of greenhouse gases. Technologies that reduce the carbon footprint of rice exist but uptake of such technologies is slow. Working with various national and international partners in different projects, IRRI develops strategies to increase the level of adoption of climate-smart technologies in rice production. This task needs a concerted approach of an inter-disciplinary team of experts.

The Thai Rice NAMA project facilitates the implementation of a set of low-emission technologies in six provinces of Thailand. Greenhouse gas mitigation is the main key performance indicator. A sound monitoring system that ensures high quality data and a skilled team of technicians is crucial for the project ME&L as well as for scientific advances.

We offer a multi-cultural, fun and inclusive work environment that strives to create a healthy and positive exchange of ideas for all team members. IRRI offers a competitive salary based on experience, benefits commensurate with an international organization, international travel to unique field locations, flexibility, global networking opportunities and an environment conducive to personal career growth and development.

This position will be based at the IRRI Country Office in Bangkok, Thailand, and may only be filled by permanent citizens of Thailand.

Roles and Responsibilities

• Manage the design, implementation and execution of research activities in the field of agro-environmental science with an emphasize on GHG emissions from rice-based agricultural systems
• Support monitoring and evaluation of GHG mitigation measures with the help of GHG calculation tools
• Develop guidelines for monitoring, reporting and evaluation of climate-smart technologies and GHG mitigation targets
• Synthesize and verify quality of data and interpret research findings based on the defined objective
• Define measures to support reliable GHG quantification from field measurements 
• Support related studies in the fields of soil-nutrient and postharvest management as well as socio-economic studies
• Represent IRRI and the specific project component at various events, meetings and workshops
• Provide extensive capacity building in terms of GHG measurement, analysis, interpretation and QA/QC to Thai project partners
• Develop training materials for CSA technologies in rice
• Supervise research officers, technicians and trainers in order to define the scope of research activities and harmonize the undertakings of the team(s) assigned in districts
• Conduct surveys, focused group discussions and assess perceptions, attitudes and behavior
• Update project partners, donors and relevant IRRI groups on progress in a timely manner
• Elevate project results to outcomes and integrate results and lessons learnt in other projects
• Deliver timely reports to project partners and relevant IRRI staff 
• Prepare and assure quality of project reports and papers for presentation at policy and academic forums and publication in scientific journals
• Proactively provide recommendations to new processes and/or improvement(s) to secure efficient performance including operational manuals and review of standard operating procedures (SOP).
• Recommend interventions to resolve appearing difficulties such as setbacks through technical errors, license and/or other complex issues that affect the successful completion of the research study.
• Oversee the implementation of data management to guarantee quality data, data back up and data integrity
• Review existing course of actions, develop work plan, set milestones and supervise the implementation of research activities